⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ clare bear ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:)

the reason i always say "please don't be a ghost reader" this isnt just because i want votes, i mean i do, but ive been writing on this app for 3 almost 4 years and it helps me stay motivated because that means people are reading my stuff. and unlike other people, they have so many views on their books and i know my writing isnt the best but i love to write and it just helps me stay motivated. and i know i unpublish and republish my chapters and i get thats really annoying

【 SEASON EPISODE 2 PART 1 】

clara couldn't understand how her dad could really be gone. she and john b were certain he was just lost at sea, that he'd somehow survived and would come back to them. it didn't make sense otherwise. the ache in her chest felt endless as she pulled the boat up to the dock at the cameron residence. she slowed to a stop, the engine going silent, and she stepped off, grabbing the tanks and gear with a quiet grunt. the weight of everything - the equipment and her thoughts - pressed heavily on her.

the cameron's boat was quiet, peaceful even, and she moved carefully as she hauled the tanks aboard. her footfalls were soft, barely making a sound on the deck. as she stepped inside, she glanced through the sliding doors and stopped dead in her tracks. there, sprawled out on the cushioned seats, was sarah cameron, fast asleep.

clara felt her breath catch, her eyes lingering on sarah's face. even asleep, sarah was striking, her features softened in the early morning light. her golden hair fanned out across the pillow, and for a moment, clara felt a strange warmth in her chest. sarah looked so peaceful, so... beautiful.

clara smiled to herself, unable to help it, but just as she started to move again, her fingers slipped, and one of the gear bags tumbled from her hands. the loud clatter of metal on wood rang out, and clara's heart sank as the bag hit her foot.

"ah, fuck!" clara cursed under her breath, hopping on one foot, trying to ease the sharp pain.

sarah jolted awake, her eyes wide with alarm. "clara?" she asked, blinking rapidly as she sat up. "are you okay?"

clara, red-faced and mortified, waved her hand dismissively. "ye-yeah, i'm fine," she stammered. "luckily, it was just the gear and not a tank."

sarah rubbed her eyes, her expression still clouded with confusion but softening as she looked at clara. "what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.

clara's heart pounded in her chest, her words tumbling out in a nervous rush. "i'm just dropping off some of the scuba gear my brother and his friends used," she explained quickly, stumbling over her words as she tried not to sound as flustered as she felt.

sarah raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly as she noticed how flustered clara was. "right... at five in the morning?" she asked, her voice laced with amusement.

clara's cheeks turned bright red, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. "yeah... um, well, john b told me to bring it back, and, uh, the power's down, so the compressors weren't working to top up the tanks," she explained, feeling more and more awkward by the second.

sarah chuckled softly, sitting up straighter and adjusting her shirt, which had ridden up slightly, exposing her bra. clara's eyes darted away, her face burning even hotter. "so, you're sneaking onto our boat at the crack of dawn with empty tanks?" sarah teased lightly.

clara shifted her weight nervously, her heart racing. "blame my brother," she mumbled with a nervous laugh.

sarah's smirk widened as she watched clara struggle to keep her cool. "i'll make sure to tell ward," she joked, her tone playful.

clara's eyes widened in panic. "wait-no! please don't tell ward. john b would kill me if he knew i got him in trouble," clara pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation. her hands fidgeted at her sides, twisting nervously.

sarah leaned back against the cushions, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched clara squirm. "relax, clara. i'm just messing with you," sarah reassured her, her tone softening slightly. "i won't say anything."

clara let out a shaky breath, her shoulders sagging with relief. "oh, thank you, sarah. seriously, thank you," she said quickly, her words tumbling over each other. "i just didn't want john b to get into trouble, especially not over something stupid like this."

sarah raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching into a small smile. "your secret's safe with me, clare bear," she winked, watching with amusement as clara's face flushed once again at the nickname.

clara bit her lip, feeling a strange mixture of embarrassment and warmth at the nickname. "t-thank you," she stammered, trying to keep her cool. "i owe you one."

as clara started to gather the gear and head for the door, sarah's voice stopped her. "hey, clara," sarah called out, her voice a little softer now. "you don't have to be so nervous around me, you know."

clara froze, turning back to face sarah with wide eyes. "i'm not nervous," she lied, her voice shaky as ever.

sarah smirked knowingly, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "sure you're not."

clara didn't respond, instead just nodding awkwardly and rushing back to the boat as fast as her legs would carry her. as she climbed into her boat and started the engine, she couldn't help but glance back at sarah one last time. her heart was still pounding in her chest as she sped off into the early morning, her mind racing with thoughts of the encounter.

all she could think about was how sarah cameron had smiled at her like that... and called her "clare bear."

clara couldn't shake the adrenaline surging through her as she pushed off the dock, her hands gripping the wheel of her boat so tight her knuckles turned white. she had planned for this to be a quick and quiet errand, but now her mind was spinning. the image of sarah cameron, lounging half-asleep in her tank top, replayed in her mind, making her heart race and her cheeks flush.

"why did i have to be such a mess around her?" clara muttered to herself, frustrated. it wasn't the first time they'd spoken-far from it-but something about seeing sarah like that had knocked clara off balance. she could still feel the warmth in her cheeks from how flustered she'd been, stumbling over her words like an idiot.

she sighed heavily, her boat cutting smoothly through the water, the early morning breeze cool against her skin. she should've just dropped the gear off without making a scene. instead, she had ended up tripping over her words, blushing like a schoolgirl, and getting all nervous in front of sarah. it wasn't like she could help it-there was just something about sarah that made clara's heart skip a beat, made her nervous in a way she couldn't quite explain.

sarah had been so casual, so relaxed, even teasing clara with that little smirk of hers. clara's face burned just thinking about it. and then, calling her "clare bear." her stomach flipped at the memory of it. sarah had said it so easily, like it was the most natural thing in the world, but to clara, it felt... different. special.

she let out a groan and dropped her head briefly against the steering wheel, the wind whipping her hair around her face. "why do you have to be like this?" she muttered to herself, exasperated.

everything had gone sideways the moment she stepped onto the cameron boat. she'd been so careful, trying not to wake anyone, but of course, she'd managed to drop the gear right on her foot. the curse had slipped out before she could stop it, and then sarah had woken up. clara bit her lip, replaying the moment sarah had sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her shirt riding up just enough to make clara's mind go blank for a second.

"god, get it together," she whispered, cringing at how flustered she had been, stammering like a fool while sarah had barely batted an eye.

sarah's teasing words still echoed in her head. "relax, clara. i won't tell anyone. your secret's safe with me, clare bear." the way sarah had winked at her, like it was some inside joke, had clara's heart pounding.

why did it matter so much what sarah thought? clara shook her head, trying to clear the lingering embarrassment. it wasn't like sarah knew what was going on in her head. but the way sarah had smiled, so calm and teasing... clara couldn't stop thinking about it. she could barely believe sarah had let her off so easily, especially considering john b had technically poached their gear.

she exhaled sharply, rolling her shoulders to release the tension. she needed to stop obsessing over every little interaction. sarah wasn't going to tell ward, and clara had returned the gear like she was supposed to. it should have been a win, but instead, it felt like she'd made a fool of herself.

the boat hummed beneath her, the familiar sounds of the engine and the gentle splash of water against the hull soothing her frayed nerves. but her thoughts kept circling back to sarah-her smirk, her teasing, the way she'd called her clare bear like they were close, like there was something more there.

"it doesn't mean anything," clara whispered to herself, but the words felt hollow.

her stomach twisted with an unfamiliar feeling. was she overthinking everything? probably. but there was something about sarah-something that made her want to figure out what it all meant.

the shoreline came into view, and clara knew she'd have to face her brother soon. she wasn't looking forward to it. john b would probably tease her for taking so long, and he definitely wouldn't let her live it down if he found out she'd gotten all flustered around sarah.

she sighed again, forcing herself to focus on docking the boat, trying to push the swirling thoughts of sarah cameron to the back of her mind. easier said than done.

as she slowed the boat, bringing it closer to the dock, she couldn't help but wonder what sarah had really thought about their little encounter. had she noticed how awkward clara had been? had she realized how much her words affected her?

clara wasn't sure. but one thing was certain-sarah had left her more confused than ever.

clara sat on the porch with kie and pope, the humid air of the outer banks settling around them like a thick blanket. her thoughts were still racing from everything that had happened, and she couldn't help but notice the tension hanging in the air, like everyone was waiting for something to break. jj was pacing back and forth in front of them, his steps frantic and his breath heavy as he tried to explain what had happened earlier at scooter's house.

"and we were right outside, like this," jj suddenly lunged toward the wall of the porch and leaned against it with a dramatic flair, his eyes wide with adrenaline. "and all we hear is just, bam! bam! bam! like knocking paint off the wall, g! from the inside!" his hands gestured wildly as he continued, his voice pitched with excitement. "and i'm just looking at john b, like-wait, first off, look at this shit," he breathed heavily, his hand reaching up to his hair where he began dusting out remnants of drywall.

clara frowned, watching the dust settle to the porch floor, and glanced at kie, who rolled her eyes. "that's dandruff, disgusting," kie muttered under her breath, crossing her arms with an air of impatience.

clara shot her a look of disapproval, and pope let out a weary sigh, clearly trying to keep the conversation on track. "okay, thank you," pope muttered sarcastically, nudging jj away from him as jj continued to shake drywall and debris from his hair, oblivious to the tension he was causing.

jj took a step back, his expression still filled with urgency as he gestured to the dust in his hair. "look at all that. all right? that's paint!" he emphasized, as if the dust itself held some kind of revelation. "at that point, i was just, like... i'm waiting for death, man."

pope, leaning forward with an incredulous expression, rubbed a hand over his face before speaking. "oh, okay, so you saw the guys that shot at us, right?" his voice was filled with disbelief, like he couldn't quite believe the way jj was telling this story.

"yeah, yeah, i saw them," jj nodded, his eyes darting around as if he could still feel the danger.

"did you get a description of them? what did they look like?" pope asked, his voice now sharp with frustration, trying to extract any useful information from jj's chaotic storytelling.

"anything is helpful," kie added, leaning forward slightly, her tone softer but no less urgent. clara nodded in agreement, her eyes flicking between pope and kie.

"anything we can bring to a police report?" clara chimed in, her voice steady but hopeful, as if maybe jj had noticed something that could make all the difference.

jj, however, seemed completely unfazed by their urgency. "burly," he said simply, crossing his arms as if that single word answered all of their questions.

pope's expression shifted from frustration to outright disbelief. "burly?" he repeated, as if he hadn't heard right.

"yeah," jj nodded again, his tone nonchalant. "you know, like-"

kie cut him off with an irritated sigh, waving her hand dismissively. "that's not very helpful," she snapped, the impatience in her voice creeping higher.

clara could feel the tension rising between them, like a pressure cooker about to explode. she leaned forward, trying to diffuse the situation before it escalated further. "guys, he's trying. he was just shot at... again." her voice was calm, but firm, and she shot jj a sympathetic look. jj caught her eye and gave her a small, appreciative nod.

"thank you, clare bear," jj muttered, still shaking his head slightly, as if reliving the chaos in his mind.

"guys, look," jj began again, taking a deep breath as he collected his thoughts. "it was like the type of guy you'd see at my dad's garage, you know? i mean, you guys know he made cargo hides for drug smugglers," jj explained, his voice taking on a more serious tone as he recalled the type of men his dad used to deal with.

"yeah. yes. no, we know," kie responded quickly, clearly wanting him to cut to the point, her patience wearing thin.

jj let out a long sigh, his fingers fumbling in his pocket before pulling out a joint. with a practiced flick of his lighter, he lit it and took a long drag, the smoke curling around his face as he exhaled slowly. clara wrinkled her nose and waved her hand in front of her face, trying to push the smoke away. "i hate that smell," she muttered under her breath.

"...they're square groupers," jj said finally, his voice flat and serious.

pope's head snapped toward him, his brows furrowing in confusion. "square groupers?" he asked, disbelief lacing his tone. "like narco square grouper? like pablo escobar square grouper?"

jj nodded, taking another huff from the joint before answering, "yeah, man."

kie raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "you guys, not everything is a kingpin movie," she said, her voice dripping with skepticism.

pope, however, remained laser-focused. "what does this square grouper look like? specifically?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he stared at jj, waiting for something concrete.

clara could feel the frustration building between pope and jj, the tension hanging heavy in the air like a storm cloud about to burst. she watched as jj's face twisted with irritation, his body language stiffening in response to pope's questioning.

"you weren't there, bro!" jj snapped suddenly, his voice raising an octave as he threw his hands up in frustration.

"clearly, you don't know what to look for!" pope shot back, his voice just as loud, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

"guys!" clara interjected, her voice rising above the bickering, trying to calm the situation down before it got worse.

jj ignored her, his voice growing even more defensive. "dude! i wasn't taking little mental polaroids the entire time! i was under duress, okay?" he shouted, throwing his arms out to his sides dramatically.

pope rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath, clearly unimpressed by jj's outburst. jj took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but his frustration still simmered beneath the surface.

"but i can tell you..." jj began again, his voice softer but no less intense. "i can tell you by the way ms. lana was screaming... these guys were serious, serious hombres, man." his eyes flicked to clara, then john b, who had been sitting silently, deep in thought.

clara's attention shifted to john b as he pulled out the old compass their father had left behind, his fingers tracing the familiar worn edges. she could see the wheels turning in his mind, the weight of the situation bearing down on him.

"it's a heavy vibe right now, okay? i'm not liking this very much," jj muttered, clearly unsettled by the silence that had fallen over them.

kie broke the silence first. "what do they want with the compass?" she asked quietly, her voice tense with concern.

pope, always the practical one, shook his head dismissively. "it's a piece of shit. you couldn't pawn it off for five bucks if you wanted to," he said, his voice matter-of-fact. clara shot him a sharp glare, the protective nature of their family's history with the compass rising in her.

pope noticed and quickly added, "no-no offense. i know it's in your family-" but john b cut him off before he could finish.

"the office." john b's voice was clear, certain.

clara's eyes widened in realization. their dad's office.

"what?" pope asked, his confusion evident.

"my dad," john b said, his voice steady as the pieces fell into place. "my dad's office. he always kept it locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his royal merchant research."

without another word, john b turned and headed toward the house, his pace quickening as he moved. clara glanced at jj, sharing a look of mutual understanding, before they both followed john b inside. behind them, kie and pope exchanged glances before trailing after them, the tension still heavy in the air.

ASH SPEAKS!

next chapter claras gonna realize how dangerous this shit is gonna be...

i love how sarah just flirts with clara and claras just so nervous

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:)